A/N:
Before we start, I've— as most of you wanted, and expected— added more to the steamy section of the last chapter. Soooo yeah, head back to Ao3 if you wanna see that before this chapter.
That being said, let's go!
000
Success tasted like—
She didn't know how to describe it.
Alvida had eaten a lot of things, but she still couldn't figure out the words to describe what she was tasting. Part of her was worried that the fruit had been just in a weird stage of decomposition, but no. She knew how rotten fruit would've tasted.
This was something else entirely.
She swallowed painfully, feeling the chunks of something-tasting fruit slide down her throat.
Oil…soap? She clicked her tongue, looking down at the rest of the so-called devil fruit, wondering if she had to finish it all for it to work. Lamp oil, maybe? Whale blubber? She smacked her lips again, filling her head with probabilities of what the foul taste was, rather than taking another bite. She was procrastinating with all her might.
Tastes like… something slick? She thought, attempting to describe the indescribable, if only to herself.
That's when she felt it.
It took over her body like warmth from a fire, a wave rippling through her senses, her muscles tensing under the sudden stimulation, her hand clenching in the process, crushing the fruit under her mighty grip.
The storm of sensations tossed her down onto her ass, her body wobbling and almost pulsing with the weird misfiring of her nerves. Her skin felt like it'd caught on fire and electrified simultaneously, every single inch of her feeling like it was imploding in on itself.
Then she felt something new. Something foreign.
Her body tensed as she felt her center of gravity shift, skin started to feel taut and closer to the rest of her body, like someone had stuck a straw in her and started sucking, causing her flesh to vacuum tight against her muscles. Her nerves were sending so many weird bursts of feedback from her nerves that her stomach started to churn, the sickly sensation closer to seasickness than anything else she'd felt in her long career as a pirate, tasting bile on the back of her throat as her body tried going through the motions of throwing up.
Stay in there, you fruity little shit. She grumbled internally to what she thought was the culprit as her hand clamped harder against her mouth.
The motion brought a new sensation. She paused, every other part of whatever the hell was going on forgotten as she took a second to rub her hand over her cheeks. They were impossibly smooth, not feeling any friction from the contact.
Alvida blinked and looked down at her hand, trying to figure out if she'd got something on it to cause the weird smooth feeling, and her eyes widened as she realized she was missing the calluses she'd grown while using her mace, her palm glistened under the sunlight smooth and flawless.
She blinked, turning over her arm and slowly trailing her eyes down her forearm, seeing the muscles she knew she had but hadn't been visible a moment ago. Panic started to set in as she realized that she was looking down onto a body that wasn't hers, her brain blaring out alarms as the dissociation set in, her hands doing a once over of her form quickly.
She was greeted with the sensation of baggy clothes and smooth skin, muscles she had used but never seen under her husk pressing against her touch.
"What…" she mumbled, looking to the side to catch the look from Cabaji and Mohji, both men looking at her like she was the hottest person they'd ever seen.
Which was true, but neither had made it so obvious before.
"Give me a mirror!" She barked, her hand barely managing to grip onto the shirt that she was nearly drowning in, the clothing feeling like it'd simply slip off if she didn't grip it with purpose. What the hell happened? Her thoughts spun, trying to come to terms with how alien everything felt.
Cabaji and Mohji didn't respond, looking down at her frame, eyes locked under her collarbones. She didn't understand what could've changed so much to make the both of them look at her bust with so much intensity. It was one of the few things that didn't feel that different.
Richie, ever the faithful cat, did her bidding, dragging a massive mirror towards her and propping it up against the railing of the ship.
Alvida stared back at her body. Her heft was gone, not even leaving a hint of it ever being there. No stretch marks, no nothing. Almost as if she'd just imagined it.
Lifting her arm, she realized that she had. She must have. There was no way she'd ever been fat; that was impossible. Her motions felt too natural for that to be the case.
Yes. She never was fat. Not since the day she was born.
This was always how she looked, smooth and perfect.
She was the most beautiful woman on the planet, there was no way she'd be fat.
Her delusions ran rampant as she stood up, almost slipping on her two feet before she regained her balance, suddenly standing up with a lot more ease, the momentary feeling of gliding cutting out as fast as it had arrived.
Curiously she got closer to the mirror, holding up the tablecloth around her shoulders with her hand, getting a better look at her face.
Things were starting to make sense.
"Ah. My freckles are gone," she hummed, stroking her face, a hand gently caressing the smooth skin of her cheeks. She looked down at her arm poking out from the cloth draped over her shoulders, seeing how much her bicep was bulging. "Oh! And my muscles are more visible."
She flexed her arm and appreciated the smooth lines that formed around the bulging muscle. She must've gotten a fruit that increased her strength. It was curious how it had made her buffer, but she wasn't complaining.
Moving her arm around, she pulled the tablecloth taut against her frame, drinking in how strong her core looked, how her bust jutted out and gave her a feminine shape, even with the added muscles that left soft and smooth curves that graced her body.
She couldn't help but laugh, turning to the side and admiring her thighs and ass, too; no wonder the pirate life called to her curves like the ones she had surely must be against the law to possess.
That also explained the ogling from the two dunces from Buggy's crew, they were fans of muscular women, no wonder their gazes hadn't left her new figure since her devil fruit made her muscles more visible.
She glanced at the two, catching them staring at her ass unashamedly. Her grin widened, enjoying the attention immensely.
She knew. Luffy would do the same. There was no way a man as strong as he wouldn't love an equally strong partner. Her hand went over her stomach, a dark and lustful giggle escaping her lips as she rubbed over the spot he'd touched her, the skin tingling as the cloth glided over it. "I wonder if he'll recognize me without my freckles…"
That seemed to pull the two idiots behind her out of their stupors, jolting awake. "Wait, so we're really going to…?"
"Men!" She called out, the rest of Buggy's crew standing at attention at her command. "Prepare to set off! We're heading to Logue town!"
With her bit said, she grabbed the tablecloth and headed towards the captain's cabin. She didn't know what had happened to her previous clothes, but she had more than enough fabric to make something presentable for her soon to be husband.
Luffy snapped awake in a cold sweat letting out a gasp, Nami moaning from her spot on his chest as if it was a trained response.
The sound alone pulled the man back to his senses, his arms gently coiling around the woman snoozing against his chest, gently patting her head as he nuzzled close.
"Right…" he mumbled, gently preparing to pick her up. "We probably missed breakfast."
His stomach let out a loud grumble, agreeing with his statement quite forcefully.
"Nami? Is that you?"
Luffy's eyes widened as he recognized the voice, looking around quickly to do something before the worst happened.
Failing to spot Nami's shirt, he grabbed his cardigan as his arm turned into a tailless whip scorpion's claw, the lengthy limb shooting out and grabbing onto his clothing before he tossed it over Nami's form, the jostling waking up the navigator who yawned blearily before growing mad. "Luffy, what the hell!?"
"My thoughts exactly!"
Luffy flinched, refusing to look behind himself. Nami had the same reaction, her cheeks suddenly bursting with color as she hid her head against his chest.
Nojiko had a grin Luffy could feel on his back. "Should've just brought him home, sis. We were worried, never thought you'd be into outdoor stuff."
"I'm not!" Nami whined against Luffy's chest, refusing to move.
A low chuckle escaped Luffy's throat as he slowly turned to shoot a glance out to Nami's older sister. "Uh, sorry?"
She winked at him, her eyes rolling over his form with appreciation. "Not at all. In fact, thank you."
"Nojiko!" Nami barked, wrapping her arms around Luffy and glaring at her sister, "I saw him first!"
Nojiko poked her tongue out with a smile. "C'mon, I thought you liked hand-me-downs!"
Nami made a sound close to a grumble and a gasp at the same time. "It'd be weird if it was with you!"
Luffy's neck creaked as his head spun to face Nami when the words registered. "Wait, so you'd be fine with others?"
"Oh, my~" Nojiko cooed from behind.
Nami blinked back at him, her face almost glowing from the blush as it intensified, "Can we not have that conversation right now!?"
Luffy laughed and gave in to her demands, slowly getting to his feet.
Nojiko's eyes darted down.
"Oh wow," she eloquently put it, her words heavier than before, her tanned skin starting to get a slight red tint to it.
Luffy blinked at the reaction, then followed her gaze and looked down.
"Oh, right."
He was still naked, unlike Nami, who was still wearing her skirt and now his cardigan, her head in her hands, steam rising from her head, relaying her desperate embarrassment.
Luffy, ever the man who knew where to start things: looked back into Nojiko's eyes.
"Is breakfast still up for grabs?"
She didn't look up as she nodded, her face flushing with blood more and more.
Fullbody had a terrible feeling about this.
He glared at the navy ship, anchored close to the Conomi Archipelago, bobbing up and down gently with the waves. From where he stood, he could see the other crew clearly, making out every one of the few marines that were manning the nigh-derelict ship.
None of the remaining marines looked to be any higher rank than chore boy.
"Ensign. Have they responded to our comms?" He almost whispered, confusion dulling his voice. He was trying to figure out why a ship still housing marines wouldn't radio back to base and tell Command what was going on.
"None, sir. They've also been trying to aim their cannons at us."
Treason?
The thought stuck to the corner of his mind like a tick, burrowing deeper into the folds. "Trying?"
"None seem to know how to operate our hardware, sir."
Fullbody shot his ensign a sideways glance, then focused back onto the traitors in front of them. "Prepare a boarding party. We're taking them into custody; do not kill any of them."
The last thing he needed was Command even thinking he'd go after a captain for his rank.
Some other dumbasses probably would.
"Aye, sir!" Came the collective agreement from his crew.
Nami glared at her sister as Luffy dashed off when he caught the scent of food, leaving the two alone.
Both spared a second to watch the man run off with the safe over his head, like the damn thing didn't weigh more than a house, giving them a show as he was still shirtless, his cardigan on Nami.
"Get food on the money, and I'll kill you!" Nami screamed out after him, waving her fist as he could still see it.
"I won't!" he shouted back, his voice already fading in the distance as he took a turn into the area of the village where the food was still being handed out.
"What am I going to do with him…" Nami grumbled before her eyes snapped back onto Nojiko. "You."
"You're fucking lucky, sis," Nojiko grumbled, her shoulders slumping as she let out a whine. "So, how was he?"
Nami's anger turned to embarrassment as she took a step back with a hiss. "Nojiko!" she chastised, her body tensing upwards like a cat trying to look bigger than it actually was. "Have some tact!"
"Boo,!" her sister insisted, almost pouting at her. "I'm trying to live vicariously through you! Gimme something, c'mon!"
Nami's blush intensified tenfold before the dam of embarrassment broke, and the feeling of acceptance filled its place. Like a fire snuffed out, Nami's face calmed down, and a sudden giddy smile took its place.
"Well…" she started, her face tinting with color again, this time from the memories of what she'd done rather than the embarrassment of the actions. "If you really wanna know…"
Nojiko nodded eagerly and pulled Nami along, "C'mon, sis! Tell me at home!"
"What is the meaning of this?"
The men in chains looked around at each other, clearly unsure of what to say.
Fullbody wasn't amused, cracking his knuckles. "Where is Nezumi?"
They looked at each other once more and refused to answer, even as they broke out in a nervous sweat.
Having enough of the bullshit, Fullbody punched one of them in the nose, his armored knuckles busting up one of the men's noses something fierce. The man stumbled and fell back on his ass, coughing and wheezing from the impact.
"I'm Lieutenant Fullbody. You're all charged with treason, and unless you all start speaking now, I'm going to personally make sure you all will find a less than comfortable cell in impel down." The marine threatened, cracking his knuckles idly. "Do you know what pirates down there do to ex-marines?"
He didn't need to continue as the remains of Nezumi's crew shuddered, all color draining from their faces.
"W-wait, sorry sir!" one of them started, looking down fearfully on his hurt comrade, then back up to Fullbody. "Ne-Nezumi said if we talked… well…"
Fullbody didn't really believe the man, but he could see the scrawny captain actually threatening his crew too.
"Continue." he urged, eyes still locked onto the crew of traitors.
"W-well, he was working with Arlong, and he said if we were to talk, he'd… let Arlong have his way with us."
Fullbody grimaced at how the man phrased it, a dry heave almost escaping his lips. "How long has this been going on?"
The men looked at each other. Whispering if any of them knew when this corruption had started. "Before we'd been signed on with Nezumi, sir!"
Fullbody shot a glance at his ensign. The man nodded and started noting the testimony down with haste.
"And the other crews sent this direction?"
"Arlong took care of those, sir." the leader of the traitor marines reported. "We feared we would have the same fate if we stood against Nezumi."
"And where is Nezumi right now?"
"No clue, sir." the marine admitted. It was the first thing out of his mouth Fullbody knew to be true. "We thought he'd joined into a party hosted by Arlong. We've seen a huge bonfire in one of the towns overnight."
"Your captain has been missing overnight, and you didn't even report to command…why again?"
The men gulped, then looked down. "Captain Nezumi keeps all comms locked in his quarters; we… didn't have access to report to command."
Fullbody grumbled, then looked back to his men "Take them to the brig, toss them to the cells. We're taking them as prisoners."
"He-hey wait!" the men exclaimed, trying to fight against his crew, failing at that too. "B-but we answered your questions! We were threatened too!"
Fullbody shook his head, ignoring the pleas of the traitorous crew. "Ensign, you're in command till I get back. You three! Get to one of the rafts, we're heading into the village to scout what the hell went on back there!"
All men flinched and threw a salute, rushing to follow his orders.
Fullbody gazed out to the small village he could barely distinguish from the ship.
What really happened here…
"What the hell happened here!?"
Fullbody couldn't help but bark out, looking into the town where it looked like every man and woman had been drunk, people not even paying attention to the arriving marines.
He'd taken a small crew to scout ahead without getting spotted by pirates, but none of these people looked anything close to what a 'fishman' should be, were they just villagers? What the hell was up with the mood here?
"You!"
Fullbody turned and raised his fists, marines behind him pulling out their guns at the venom directed towards them. Then they all faltered as a sheriff wearing a pinwheel rushed out to them, the toy spinning wildly as the older man ran up.
"You think you can come back here, you corrupt sons of bitches!?" the old sheriff screamed out, pulling the attention towards the small marine scouting party, the town turning around with anger growing between them. "I'll kill you if you think we're going back under some—"
His words died in his mouth as someone new appeared, carrying a giant metal box over his head.
Fullbody paled as the captain of the pirate crew he thought he'd sank glared back at him.
A beat passed.
"Who the hell are you?" the shirtless man hauling the massive steel box asked, his head tilting to the side, the straw hat on his head almost falling in the process.
Fullbody's teeth clenched at the utter dismissal of his entire existence from the man. "Introduce yourself first."
"He's our hero!" one from the village answered, the man flinching and turning to the source.
"I told you I'm a pirate!"
The villagers started laughing around the conflict, and Fullbody started fearing what had happened. "I'm guessing you took care of Arlong then?"
"That fish breath? Yeah. Made my navigator cry, beat him to death." the pirate captain said without missing a beat with the casualty of talking about the weather. "Who are you, though?"
"Lieutenant Fullbody." he introduced himself, eyes gazing out to the people surrounding them. No need to antagonize anyone, given the circumstances. "Was sent out to… check on Captain Nezumi."
The sheriff from before roared in anger. "Are you going to take revenge on that scum? What kind of justice is that!?"
Fullbody glared out at the old man. "Given what I've heard so far, I'm planning on making sure he'll be locked up for colluding with a pirate."
"Oh. You'll have a hard time doing that, Nulldandy." the pirate started, eyes blank as he looked ever so slightly wrong. Fullbody couldn't quite tell what; he was still too pissed about the mangling of his name. "I killed him. And his crew."
The marines behind him gasped, their guns clattering in their hands. "Stand down," he barked without looking.
His men yelped but did as he commanded.
Fullbody glared back at the man holding the safe. "Will we join them?"
The question confused the pirate, and Fullbody could breathe easily again. "Join them? What the hell do you mean, you wanna die?"
"Not if I'm not with a woman," he chuckled, trying to ease his nerves with a joke, shaking his head in the process. "Command will want to hear about this too. Do you have a name?"
"Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy," the pirate introduced himself, smiling. "You're not as bad as I thought, Nulldandy!"
Fullbody didn't even try to correct him.
"Y-you young fool!" The sheriff called out, "They'll put a bounty on you!"
Luffy turned back to the old cop, then turned back to Fullbody with stars in his eyes "You will!? Awesome!"
The men behind him chuckled; he wanted to join in. The situation was just too bizarre not to.
Then, something akin to a beast roaring rumbled, and everyone took a cautionary step back from the source. Luffy looked around with a blush on his cheeks, apparently embarrassed by the sound his stomach made. His attention pulled away, he rushed off, screaming for 'Sanji' whatever that meant.
The marines blinked, staring at the dust cloud kicked up by the cheery captain that apparently killed one of the strongest pirates on the blue they were in, and a corrupt captain. A walking paradox. Fullbody didn't know what to do with that information and looked back to the old sheriff. "Is what he said true?"
The sheriff looked at them with venom in his gaze. "Get the fuck out of my village."
Seeing the other villagers agree with the sentiment, Fullbody was ready to comply before one of them threw a balled-up newspaper into his face.
"Read and weep, asshole!" The aggressor growled, more people picking up things to toss but holding their fire.
"We're leaving," he announced to his men, leaning down and picking up the paper ball.
His men stood on attention and piled back onto their dinghy, rowing back to their ship.
Looking back at the villagers, he unwrapped the crumpled-up local newspaper.
'Arlong brought to justice, Belle-mere aven—'
"—ged, Captain Nezumi exterminated."
The Den-Den Mushi was silent on the other end, Fullbody fearing what he was about to hear from the other side. "I'll be sending a fax with the full paper for my full re—"
"Lieutenant," Command cut him off. "Is this report correct?"
"Sir, I couldn't get visual confirmation as the villagers were… agitated. But I have no reason not to believe what they've said. The remains of Nezumi's crew have confessed to the same crimes."
The line went silent again.
"That damned rat." command hissed out. "Monkey D. Luffy confirmed. Do we have an image for his poster?"
Fullbody actually didn't. Everything had happened too fast during the interaction to actually get a picture of the pirate-turned-hero. Not wanting to sound incompetent, he wrecked his head, trying to figure out if he might've gotten a picture during his first altercation with the crew. While thinking, his eyes gazed down, and Luffy's smiling face greeted him on the newspaper he'd been given.
"I believe I do."
000
A/N:
If you are curious about why I've changed Alvida's appearance, the answer is simple; Horny. I hope that explains it succinctly.
that being said, if y'all want a visual example of it, Maki from Fire force is what I'm going for.
I hope y'all have enjoyed the chapter!